How I became a storyteller

open book
©Mia Salminen 2015

I’ve never been a book reader, and I prefer watching things on TV. If I read something, it isn’t novels. I’ve read a lot of autobiographies, and when I was a child, I read books for kids. The kids’ books were written in Swedish, and they were easy to read, too. I’ve read books in Finnish as well. The book I read the most was a book about Heidi. It was adapted from a movie. I reread it last summer in a day or two. I own some books, but I go to the library when I want to read a book. I own the ‘Lord of the Rings’ book but have never finished it. My late dad bought it for Christmas, and he read it in one evening. It’s too long for my taste. I prefer the movies. The book that I have read by Tolkien is ‘The Hobbit’. I’ve read that a couple of times. I own one in English, but I have also read it in Finnish once. I’m not patient enough to read long books. Unless it’s a fascinating book or an autobiography.

I’ve always wanted to write and was pretty good at it in school. I didn’t want to write a book, as someone thought I would when I said I wanted to write. I wanted writing to be part of something else. The same goes for photography and graphic design. I don’t want to do only one thing. There are different ways to be a raconteur than someone writing books. I became a storyteller after I found my fascination with fan fiction. I didn’t find stories I wanted to read, so I started to write my own. That’s where I shine the most. But writing fiction is only a hobby and doesn’t pay the bills. It’s also a learning curve for learning English, and I don’t need to read books to keep my imagination running. Some might say that reading books teaches you to use words, but you can also learn words by watching movies or TV shows. I want to write with words that anyone can understand. You don’t need fancy words to write a good story. Writing fiction is easier for me than writing about facts.

For example, I struggle with what to write on social media right now. It’s supposed to be in Finnish, but it doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m so used to writing in English, so writing it in my language isn’t easy. The other thing is that Swedish is my mother tongue, so I find it hard to find words to describe something in Finnish. Knowing three languages can sometimes confuse your vocabulary. When I write fiction in English, the inspiration comes quicker, and I could write for hours. But I get stuck when writing about facts about myself and what I want to achieve. The challenging part is writing about it in Finnish. I’m just not a storyteller when it comes to real life. Things would be easier if I could tell a story the way I write fiction. I guess it’s about getting used to things instead of giving up because something is too difficult. You live, learn, and become a better raconteur when you write as often as possible. That’s the way you learn other things in life. That’s how I learned to write in English in the first place. Practice makes you better at what you do.

Things you might not know about me

about
Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Daily Writing Prompt

Oh, happy days! I can talk about myself—not. I don’t like talking about myself. I’m not that vain. But I’m not talking; I’m writing. There are a lot of things people don’t know about me. My family members are all gone, but not even they knew exactly everything about me. I’m also not the person I was when I was a kid. Life experiences change you. You lose people in your life, but you also gain them. The same goes for how you see life. If you don’t grow and stay the same way you were when you were younger, you’re stuck in the past. I try to think positively because the world seems to be a depressive place right now. I don’t know how to plan ahead because I want to live in the present. Things I plan ahead are what I’m going to do next year. Will get back to that later. But now, things you might not know about me. Just a short list, though.

I use Duolingo as a game

I’ve started to use Duolingo recently again. Had a break from it for a couple of years. Not to learn a language. But to gain points and achievements. I have the language I know how to speak English, Swedish and Finnish. I try to learn other languages, too, but it doesn’t get stuck in my head. Some languages are easy to understand and learn, like Norwegian and Danish. I’ve started Italian, French, Irish and Spanish but haven’t used those in a while. I also use the app where you can learn music and math. So it’s entertaining to me, so I hardly remember much.

I love ice hockey

I watch sports often on TV, but my absolute favourite game is ice hockey. In fact, I’m going to see a game this evening (October 18) with my local team for the second time this year. They don’t show the games on free channels, so I usually listen to them on the radio. Seeing a match live has its own rewards. Even though no one ever talks to me or I don’t get to meet new people, the atmosphere is incredible. I would go more often if it was less expensive and the stadium would be closer. I watch the World Championships on TV every year. They show all the matches of Team Finland on the free channel. I only follow the Finnish league, so no NHL ones, even though I read the news if Finnish players have been playing. Sometimes, they show NHL games on TV, so I have seen some of them.

I love going to concerts

Silly, isn’t it. Especially when I didn’t like big crowds when I was younger and didn’t think I would ever go to a concert my entire life. But then came 2017, when I decided to see Robbie Williams in Tampere, Finland. The concert was outside, and the stadium was full of people. It was probably the best decision I ever made. The concert was fantastic, and I also got to see Erasure (pop synth duo) as a warm-up act for Robbie. You could say the live concert bug hit me that day. Now I’ve seen him twice, also in Finland. Concerts abroad are too expensive. The concert music is too loud, but you get used to it. The best part of concerts is to see your favourite act on stage, so it doesn’t matter. Besides Robbie, I’ve been to see Toto (next year, too), Duran Duran (best birthday party ever), Pet Shop Boys and Bryan Adams this year. And the plan for next year is; Kylie Minogue in June 2025, yeah! It’s been one of my dreams to see her live in concert. Fun fact. When I was younger, I wished she was my sister. I don’t know why, though.

I like driving a car

I got my driver’s license three years ago. Since my late dad wasn’t allowed to drive anymore, I decided to go to driving school. I tried it in 1995, but I didn’t finish it. Maybe I wasn’t ready. I didn’t like driving then. I didn’t need a car anyway. My late mother never had a license, so I thought it unimportant. But times changed, and I got my license. I don’t think I would have been so keen if my dad wasn’t with me when I was driving. He’s the reason why I got more confidence in driving a car. You get used to many things; the more I drive, the better it feels. Now I like driving. Driving long distances is a different matter, but I guess you also get used to that. Since my dad passed away, I own his car now. I’ve thought about buying a new car, but I just started to learn to drive this car, so maybe in the future. The vehicle is at least 25 years old, so it has its problems. I haven’t driven in the dark or slippery conditions that much, so I don’t know if I dare use the car in the winter. When the road is clear, it’s easier to drive. I don’t know if I ever get used to driving in the dark when other cars blind me with their bright lights on the roads. I plan to drive to an event in November, but I’m worried about driving that far. It will be close to Helsinki; the fastest way to get there is by highway. You never know the weather by then, so I’ll wait and see.

Those are some of the things people might not know about me. If you don’t know me by now, you might learn something after reading this post. There are Happy Days ahead, and one is happening tonight. Especially if my team wins. I’m just happy to be there, whatever the results.